Men's Health and Wellness Information

Penis Facts and Fiction

Just because a person owns an impressive car doesn’t mean he knows everything about the intricate workings of its engine or the truth about how many miles per gallon it really gets. For the same reason, a man may have a penis but that doesn’t mean he’s up to speed on all penis facts – especially when those facts deal with penis health. Yet separating penis facts from fiction is important in truly understanding one’s penis and knowing how to treat it.

See if you can tell which of the following are penis facts vs. fiction.

“Once the penis is in a rigid erect state, it loses flexibility.”

This would seem like an obvious fact to any man who has observed his proudly erect penis – but in fact it is fiction. While the erect penis does become very hard, it still maintains a degree of pliability – such that scientists have found that many times it can become almost boomerang-shaped if a given sex position requires it.

“More men are growers rather than showers.”

That is a fact. According to a survey, 79% of men are growers (that is, their penis is relatively short when flaccid but expands significantly when erect) and 21% are showers (that is, their flaccid penis is relatively long and expands less significantly when erect.)

“The glans developed to help displace competitor’s semen.”

Surprisingly, that’s fact not fiction. The shape of the glans helps to “scoop out” semen which may have been deposited by a previous lover. It was more of an issue during caveman days, but a fact is a fact.

“A guy can only rupture his penis during wild partner sex.”

That’s fiction, actually. It turns out that a penile rupture more often occurs when a man is vigorously masturbating than when having sex with a partner.

“The phrase “use it or lose it’ applies to the penis.”

That’s a fact. The penis needs to be “exercised’ to stay healthy – whether through masturbation or partner-based sex. Basically, the smooth muscle in the penis requires oxygen to stay healthy, and it gets that oxygen when loads of fresh blood rush into the penis during the erection phase. So masturbating or having sex helps the penis stay healthy and in better shape.

“Penis sensitivity tends to decrease with age.”

Sadly, a fact. As a man ages, the sensory threshold of his penis – that is, the point at which he is able to sense the slightest degree of sensation – lessens. This can have several potential impacts, from making erection more difficult to attain and/or maintain to delaying a man’s ability to ejaculate.

“Semen is not a diet drink.”

A fact. Some years ago, it was batted about that semen was a low-calorie, low-carb beverage. In fact, it is mostly fructose – and considering the small amount of semen typically ejaculated at one time, it is relatively high in calories and in carbs. So claiming that it’s good for a person watching their figure is actually a lousy argument for convincing someone to give a guy oral sex.

“About 12% of men have a micropenis.”

Fiction – less than 1% of men have a penis that actually qualifies as a micropenis. However, one study found that 12% of men were worried their penis was so small that it was a micropenis – indicating again that many men have unrealistic ideas about penis size.

One of the more important penis facts (And this is no fiction) is that men need to take steps to maintain penis health. An excellent way to do this is to daily apply a first class penis health creme (health professionals recommend Man 1 Man Oil, which is clinically proven mild and safe for skin). It pays to look for a crème that contains both L-carnitine and L-arginine. The former is neuroprotective and can help protect the penis from diminished sensitivity. And the latter is an amino acid which helps blood vessels expand, so that more oxygen-rich blood can reach the smooth muscle when needed.